The Man Who Never Read the Constitution

How Trump’s ignorance and defiance of the Constitution threaten American democracy.

It’s a simple oath. Just one sentence. In it, a President promises to “…preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Forty-five men have taken that solemn pledge. Only one, Donald Trump, has openly questioned what it even means.

Trump exposed this fundamental misunderstanding when asked if the people he’s summarily deporting have the right to “due process” — the basic right to be heard before the government expels them. The Constitution is clear. It guarantees this right in two separate places. And yet, Trump responded, “I don’t know. I’m not, I’m not a lawyer. I don’t know.”

Given Trump’s well-documented aversion to reading (he reportedly struggles to get through even a single page of text), it’s not surprising that he hasn’t cracked open the Constitution. I’d wager that plenty of White House officials have read our founding document and understand it. But I’d also bet that none of them dare challenge Trump with the inconvenient truths it contains.

Those around him stay silent because they know Trump isn’t interested in expertise or informed debate. He starts every policy conversation with a gut instinct about what serves his interests — and, convinced that his desires are indistinguishable from the nation’s needs, demands a straight line from point A to point B. In this equation, where is there room for pesky facts or constitutional limits?

Consider the issue of due process. Trump has ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials to round up and immediately deport undocumented immigrants they suspect of gang affiliations. No hearings. No appeals. Inevitably, this shoot-first, ask-questions-later approach leads to mistakes — mistakes that due process is designed to prevent.

Take the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Legally in the United States, Garcia was mistakenly identified as a member of the violent Salvadoran gang MS-13. On March 12, he was arrested. Just three days later, without ever appearing before a judge, he was put on a plane to El Salvador, where he remains locked up in the notorious Terrorism Confinement Center — one of the most dangerous prisons on earth. The government has since admitted its error, and the Supreme Court ordered the administration to bring him back. But as of this writing, Trump has ignored that order.

When asked about the broader issue of due process for immigrants, Trump hand-waved the constitutional obligation, complaining it would require “a million, or two million, or three million trials.” The message is clear: when legal rights challenge Trump’s impulses, his impulses win.

And this disregard for the Constitution goes beyond just due process. Trump has openly mused about serving a third term, despite the 22nd Amendment’s crystal-clear limit of two terms. You’ve heard the chatter. He’s floated the idea at rallies and in interviews, a none-too-subtle signal to his base that the rules simply shouldn’t apply to him.

Why? Because Trump believes in exceptions — for himself. In his world, only suckers and losers play by the rules. This mindset has shaped his entire life, and, thanks to his wealth, celebrity, and sheer force of personality, he’s often gotten away with it. It’s the same charisma that blinds his followers to his scandals, crimes, and corruption. It’s the same magnetism that drove thousands to storm the Capitol on January 6, 2021, clinging to the lie that the 2020 election had been stolen.

January 6 taught Trump a powerful lesson: his hold over his base is so complete that there’s almost nothing he can’t get away with. His followers admire his rule-breaking because it defines him as a “man of action.” Not for them the fussiness of checks and balances. They crave a larger-than-life strongman who promises to restore lost glories and sweep away the messy compromises of democracy. In other words, they want an American Putin.

Consider the parallels. Vladimir Putin came to power by promising to restore Russia’s imperial greatness — a kind of “Make Russia Great Again” campaign. He has maintained his grip by undermining courts, manipulating elections, and changing the constitution to extend his rule indefinitely. Like Trump, he surrounds himself with billionaire cronies and avoids unfriendly crowds.

As Putin demonstrates, it’s entirely possible to reign as a dictator in a country that holds elections and claims to respect the rule of law. All you need is a cult-like following, a defanged judiciary, and a deeply cynical electorate.

Trump’s brief second term showed exactly where he wants to take us. The question is, will we let him? (Nope.)